Ancestor Worship in Okinawa, Japan

A gathering at the family tomb for Shimi

During the month of April, each year, a Sunday gathering takes place at the family tomb (Ohaka).

The occasion, known as Shimi,
resembles a family reunion and picnic combined. Throughout the month,
every Sunday, the roads may appear to have more traffic and many
vehicles will be seen parked alongside the roads close to family tombs.

Vegetation surrounding the Ohaka
is trimmed and the grounds are cleaned up by men, usually the week
prior. The family agrees on a date whereby maximum attendance is
achieved. Women prepare foods for the assembly, days in advance.

My family planned Shimi for Sunday the 17th of April 2011. It rained.

Flowers and drinks were placed at the entrance to the tomb as offerings.
Incense was burned and prayers were offered. The food that was prepared
and placed in front of the Ohaka, as an offering to the ancestor’s
spirts, had to be removed quickly when the rain came pouring down.
Everyone offered their prayers and left the tomb. That doesn’t stop
Shimi.

Everything that was prepared for the event at the Ohaka was carried to
the home of the eldest surviving son in the family. An altar called a Butsudan
is another place in Okinawa where ancestor worship takes place. Food
and drinks were placed on the altar. Incense, resembling charcoal
sticks, was lighted.

Paper money, known as Uchikabi, was burned…

The family gathered around the table of foods and drinks, offered to the spirits and prayed.

One item from each type of food offered was placed along with the burned
paper money for the ancestral spirits to take with them back to the
spiritual world.

Children frolic, play and swing from the rafters and adults joke,
chat and banter until the eldest woman present announces it’s time to
eat. Shimi, the ancestral worship ceremony, is not a sad occasion in
Okinawa. It is a time to be happy and the spirits, who are always
watching, enjoy seeing the family celebrating together.

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